Mohair, Alpaca or Merino: Which Yarn Should You Choose?

The short answer: choose mohair when you want an airy, lustrous surface and light garments, alpaca when the garment should be really warm but still light, and merino when it should be soft against the skin and show patterns and stitches clearly. Mohair is also often knitted together with another yarn.

The fibres at a glance

Fibre	Comes from	Feel	Good for
Mohair	The Angora goat	Light and airy, with a high lustre	Shawls, light sweaters, as an extra strand with another yarn
Alpaca	The alpaca	Very warm and light, soft and free of lanolin	Warm sweaters, hats and scarves
Merino	The merino sheep	Fine and soft, usually under 24 micrometres	Garments worn next to the skin, patterns with clear stitches

Mohair: air and lustre

Mohair is hair from the Angora goat, not from the Angora rabbit. The hair has a high lustre, insulates well, is both hard-wearing and naturally elastic, and takes dye very well. The finest hair comes from young animals and is called kid mohair. That is the hair used in yarn for clothing.

A thin mohair yarn can be knitted on its own for sheer shawls and light garments, or together with another yarn to add extra softness, warmth and an airy surface. These are the ones we have in stock:

• Silk Mohair from Lana Gatto: super kid mohair and silk.
• Silk Mohair Lux from Lana Gatto: super kid mohair and silk with a thin glitter thread.
• Malabrigo Mohair: 72 % mohair and 28 % silk, a feather-light lace yarn.
• Tynn Kidsilk Erle: a brushed mohair yarn to knit on its own or with the yarn held double.
• ONION Mohair+Wool: mohair and wool with a light, airy texture.
• Novita Hehku: 60 % mohair and 40 % wool, fuzzy and airy.

Alpaca: warmth without weight

Alpaca fibre is warmer than sheep’s wool, does not prickle and contains almost no lanolin. The surface of the fibre is smoother than that of sheep’s wool, which makes it soft, and it insulates even when damp. Alpaca yarn is light for how warm it is, so it suits garments that should keep you warm without becoming heavy.

• Alpakka Ull from Sandnes Garn: alpaca and wool, warm and light, for sweaters, cardigans and hats.
• Silk Alpaca from Malabrigo: 70 % baby alpaca and 30 % silk, a thin lace-weight yarn for lace knitting.
• Halaus from Novita: alpaca and wool blown into a cotton mesh, airy and quick to knit.
• Alpacka Bouclé from Järbo: alpaca and merino in a curly bouclé yarn.

Merino: soft against the skin

Merino wool is fine, usually under 24 micrometres in diameter, and fine fibres feel softer against the skin. The sheep originally comes from the Iberian Peninsula. Merino suits garments worn next to the skin and patterns where the stitches should show clearly.

• Novita 7 Sisters: wool and merino, a soft yarn for sweaters and cardigans.
• Seis Cabos from Malabrigo: 100 % extra fine merino in six tightly twisted plies, with very clear stitch definition.
• Silk Merino from Malabrigo: merino and silk with a subtle sheen.
• Neon drops: 85 % superwash-treated merino, tightly twisted, good for socks.
• Chunky merino and Cheeky Chunky Twist from Wool Couture: thick merino that knits up quickly.
• Soft merino thin: organic merino wool, for accessories and baby clothes.

Mixing the fibres

Mohair together with merino or alpaca is a common combination: the base yarn gives structure and stitch definition, and the mohair strand adds softness and an airy surface. Knit a swatch with both strands before you decide on a needle size.

Before you buy

• Knit a swatch. Here is how to measure your gauge, and the gauge calculator turns it into stitch counts.
• Work out how much yarn you need with the yarn calculator, and buy all the balls at once so they come from the same dye lot.
• Substituting yarn in a pattern? Compare the weight in the yarn weight chart.

All the yarns are in the shop, sorted by fibre under mohair yarn, alpaca yarn and merino yarn.